Rambo is officially returning for a new movie, with Lionsgate acquiring the rights. The deal includes worldwide distribution rights for the upcoming prequel, which will be the sixth installment in the Rambo franchise.
The film will be the first in the series without Sylvester Stallone in the lead role. Instead, Stallone will serve as an executive producer, while Noah Centineo takes on the titular role.
The Rambo story began with First Blood in 1982, when Stallone first portrayed John Rambo. The upcoming film, John Rambo, is being developed as an origin story set before the events of First Blood.
Centineo will portray a younger John Rambo, with the story set during the Vietnam War before the events of First Blood. Stallone has agreed to executive produce the project and confirmed that it will focus on the character’s origins.
Director Jalmari Helander told Collider’s Perri Nemiroff at Fantastic Fest that he was deeply inspired by the original 1982 film. Production on John Rambo began in Thailand in January 2026, with filming taking place in Bangkok, Krabi, Phang Nga, and Kanchanaburi.
